This invention relates to a machine for baling solid waste, including paper, non-ferrous metal, plastic, and similar solid waste materials into a compact bale.
Baling machines of this type are known in the art and generally include a bin into which solid waste is deposited, a compacting chamber in which the solid waste is compacted, and a charging passage connecting the bin and compacting chamber and having an exit end in communication with the compacting chamber. A compacting ram head, reciprocable between extended and retracted positions in the charging passage, moves the deposited solid waste through the charging passage into the compacting chamber where the solid waste is compacted into a bale by the compacting ram head in a succession of compacting strokes. After a bale is formed in the compacting chamber, it is discharged into a discharge passage in communication with the compacting chamber and perpendicular to the exit end of the charging passage by a discharge ram head reciprocable between extended and retracted positions in the compacting chamber and discharge passage. Once a bale is discharged from the compacting chamber into the discharge passage in this manner, the discharge ram head is retracted to define an end wall of the compacting chamber. At the same time, the bale in the discharge passage defines the opposing end wall of the compacting chamber to accommodate the compacting of a succeeding bale of solid waste in the compacting chamber.
In such prior art baling machines, the discharge passage generally has a fixed top, bottom and opposing sidewalls, and the bale in the discharge passage is held in position and prevented from advancing during compacting of a succeeding bale in the compacting chamber only by the frictional force between the bale in the discharge passage and the fixed top, bottom and opposing sidewalls of the discharge passage. When this frictional force is overcome by the force exerted by a succeeding bale being compacted in the compacting chamber, undesirable advance of the bale in the discharge passage occurs. This is likely to happen, for example, when the bale in the discharge passage has a high moisture content or is slightly undersized.
In one type of such prior art baling machines, provision is made to widen the discharge passage to accommodate discharge of an oversize bale. In such type of machines, the discharge passage sidewall adjacent the exist end of the charging passage is divided into inner and outer parallel sections. The outer sidewall section of the discharge passage in such machines is fixed and the inner sidewall section can be lifted out vertically to widen the discharge passage to accommodate discharge of an oversize bale from the compacting chamber. However, such devices provide no means for controlling the advance of a bale and maintaining proper positioning of a bale in the discharge passage during compacting of a succeeding bale in the compacting chamber. Further, in the normal operation of the charging and compacting functions of solid waste baling machines of this type, production of oversize bales is not likely to occur.